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Durham's Sam Fuld, of the Tampa Bay Rays, hopes to stay healthy next year after missing most of last season with a wrist injury that required surgery and almost four months of rehab.

DURHAM — Foot speed is one of the attributes that makes Durham's Sam Fuld such a valuable role player for the Tampa Bay Rays. He's also a fast healer.

Originally told it would take four to five months to recover from wrist surgery, he was back on the field in less than four and salvaged what he could of the season following the longest stint on the disabled list of his pro career.

“It was frustrating,” Fuld said. “Injuries are the most frustrating part of the game. I don't think I've ever been out that long at any point in my career. It was difficult. You try to take the good out of it so I tried to beat the timetable they set for me, and I did by several weeks.”

He originally hurt his right wrist while swinging the bat late in the 2011 season. He tried to let it heal on its own during the winter, but when that didn't happen he opted to have surgery just before the start of the 2012 season.

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Durham’s Sam Fuld avoided free agency when the Tampa Bay Rays tendered him a new contract recently, meaning he’ll be with the team for at least another year.

“The plan was to rest it going into the offseason,” Fuld said. “Sometimes rest and immobilization does help, and we tried to explore that before undergoing surgery. Unfortunately it didn't work out and by the end of spring training I realized I was going to have to go the surgery route.”

Concerned it might be a career-threatening injury, he relied on medical know-how and the power of positive thinking.

“It was in the back of my mind,” Fuld said. “I was scared going into surgery, but when you're injured it's important to be optimistic. I knew that was a possibility, so I tried to stay as positive as possible and I think it helped.”

The operation was performed at the Cleveland Clinic and he stayed at the surgeon's home along with Red Sox reliever Andrew Bailey, who was having surgery on his thumb around the same time.

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SAM FULD

Fuld had a tendon repaired on the outside of his right wrist near the pinkie.

“The first week out of surgery was really tough,” Fuld said. “It was really painful. Once I got past the first week the pain gradually went away and it was just a matter of getting the strength back and the mobility.”

There was also a mental hurdle he had to clear.

“I had a big fear of swinging and missing,” Fuld said. “The first time I did it and didn't feel any pain that was great. It's just as much a mental battle coming back from an injury as it is physical.”

Once he returned in late July he made up for lost time by getting off to a hot start, hitting .391 in July with nine hits in his first 23 at-bats.

He finished with a .255 average in 44 games with 25 hits in 98 at-bats, including three doubles, two triples and five RBIs.

“It went pretty well,” he said. “I got off to a pretty good start which was nice. That was a big relief for me. It erased doubts that I'd ever get back to being the player I was. I felt like I did before the surgery. I felt as good as new. I tapered off a little bit at the end, but all in all I'm happy with the way the season went given everything that happened.”

Fuld also stole seven bases in nine attempts as the Rays made a late playoff run but fell short in the final week.

“We were in it until the last couple days,” he said. “We finished strong, but Baltimore and Oakland kept winning and it was tough to gain any ground.”

Fuld also injured a hamstring in a game against the Yankees in September and that cost him some time. Fuld returned sooner than expected from that setback as well.

Now he's working out six days a week getting ready for the 2013 campaign. He'll be with the Rays for at least one more year after the team recently tendered him a contract.

Fuld was eligible for arbritation. Had the Rays not tendered him a contract before the deadline, he would have become a free agent.

“That sounds like a good thing,” he said, “but when you become a free agent there's no guarantee you'll sign with another club. Any time you're tendered a contract that's a good thing, especially given how much I love playing for the Rays' organization.”

When spring training rolls around he'll have to get acquainted with some new teammates. The low-budget, offensively challenged Rays made a big trade with the Royals that cost them pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis, but landed highly regarded prospect Wil Myers.

“We're extremely deep in pitching,” Fuld said. “That was certainly our strong point this year. It makes sense. It's tough to let a guy like Shields go. He's been such a leader and a huge component of the team's success over the last few years.

“You have to have faith in the front office that they're making the right moves,” he added.

The Rays also signed free agent and former Red Sox first baseman James Loney.

Aside from occasional soreness in his wrist after games last season, Fuld feels like he's back to full strength.

“I just want to get back to doing the things I do well,” he said. “I learned a long time ago it's tough to set individual goals because a lot of that is out of your hands. I'm excited to get back out on the field. Last year was a lost season for me so I'm focused on playing a full season.”